July 25, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5207 

time to stop the bleeding to make sure 

our heroes are removed from the conflict that is inflicting so much damage. 

We can start winning the war on suicide by ending the war in Afghanistan. 

Let’s bring our troops home now. 

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NATASHA’S STORY 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

Chair recognizes the gentleman from 

Texas (Mr. POE) for 5 minutes. 

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, 

Natasha’s life changed because she was 

the prey of a sexual predator. 

Here’s the beginning of her dramatic 

story: 

In 1993, I was violently raped, sodomized 

and robbed at gunpoint by an unknown assailant. When I escaped and thankfully found 

myself in my apartment, my roommate insisted that I go to the hospital. 

I agreed to wait for an ambulance, even 

though my first instinct was to take a shower. I’m so grateful today that I made that 

choice to go to that hospital. 

Mr. Speaker, Natasha is one of many 

victims of this barbaric and dastardly 

crime. According to information released by the Centers for Disease Control, nearly one in five women in America has been raped at some point in 

their lives. As both a former prosecutor 

and a judge in Texas, I was involved 

with the criminal trials of rape cases 

for 30 years. 

I learned firsthand the devastation 

that sexual assault victims experience, 

and I understand and learned that sexual assault does not just physically 

harm the victim; it harms their entire 

being both physically, emotionally, 

and mentally; and the pain sometimes 

lasts forever. Mr. Speaker, rapists try 

to steal the soul from their victims, 

and they try to destroy the self-worth 

of victims, and sometimes they do. 

One of the most critical pieces of evidence for rape trials is the rape kit, a 

tool that gathers forensic evidence, including DNA evidence, to link the rapist to the crime. But, unfortunately, 

rape kits often languish in evidence 

rooms across the United States, some 

untested for years, some discarded before ever being tested, and some gather 

dust so long that the statute of limitations on the crime of rape has expired 

and the criminal can never be prosecuted. This ought not to be. 

Mr. Speaker, Natasha’s story did not 

end in that cold hospital examination 

room. She says further: 

Ten years later, in 2003, I received a call 

from the New York City District Attorney’s 

office. My rape kit, which unbeknownst to 

me had been sitting on a shelf for almost 10 

years, had at last been finally processed. I 

had long since reconciled the fact that my 

perpetrator would never be held accountable 

for his actions. But now there was hope. 

After a long trial, Victor Rondon was tried 

before a jury of his peers in 2008 and was 

found guilty on all eight counts of violent 

assault against me. He’s in jail now for a 

long time. The best part for me is that he 

can never hurt anyone else. 

My rape kit sat on a shelf for many years. 

It was not just a number in a police department. My rape kit was me—a human being. 

Every rape kit that sits on the shelf somewhere is a human being. 

Mr. Speaker, Natasha’s story humanizes rape kits ignored in evidence 

rooms throughout the country. Victims of sexual assault deserve justice, 

and their perpetrators deserve to be 

punished by courts and juries in America. 

Stories like Natasha’s compelled 

Congresswoman CAROLYN MALONEY

from New York and me to introduce 

the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence 

Registry Act, the SAFER Act, in the 

House, and Senators CORNYN and BENNET to introduce the same bill in the 

Senate. This bill would allow existing 

funds to be used to provide grants to 

States and localities to audit their 

rape kit backlog and also would call 

upon the Attorney General to create an 

Internet-based rape kit registry for 

sexual assault evidence testing. Estimates of untested rape kits are as high 

as 400,000 in America according to 

Human Rights Watch. 

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According to the DOJ’s National Institute of Justice, 43 percent of the Nation’s law enforcement agencies don’t 

even have a computerized system to 

track forensic evidence, either in their 

inventory or after it is sent to a crime 

lab. The SAFER Act would allow 

criminal evidence to be prosecuted and 

processed, and these do-bads to be held 

accountable for their dastardly deeds. 

Mr. Speaker, the insensitive say 

there’s no money for these exams, 

these rape kit tests. Well, Congress 

needs to find the money. Maybe, instead of sending money to foreign 

countries to help them, keep some of 

that money in America to help American rape victims like Natasha. Help 

them get justice. Because, Mr. Speaker, justice is what we do in America. 

And that’s just the way it is. 

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FEDERAL RESERVE 

TRANSPARENCY ACT 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

Chair recognizes the gentleman from 

Tennessee (Mr. DUNCAN) for 5 minutes. 

Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee. Mr. 

Speaker, later today, we will vote on 

H.R. 459, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2012. Because this legislation comes to us on the suspension 

calendar, it will require a two-thirds 

vote in favor of passage. 

I rise today in support of a full audit 

of the Federal Reserve. I have thought 

for many years that there’s too much 

secrecy and too much power vested in 

our Federal Reserve. This is an effort 

that I first joined in June of 1991, in the 

102nd Congress, when I cosponsored a 

bill introduced by Congressman Phil 

Crane of Illinois to audit the Federal 

Reserve. 

Even back then, before our most recent major financial recession, Congressman Crane’s bill had 56 bipartisan 

cosponsors. That support has grown 

over the years, and in the 111th Congress, the last Congress, Congressman 

RON PAUL’s ‘‘audit the Fed’’ bill gathered an overwhelming 320 cosponsors 

from both parties. Now that support, I 

believe, is at 270 in this Congress. 

Thomas Jefferson was one of our 

Founding Fathers who was concerned 

about putting too much power into a 

central bank, and he wrote in a letter 

in 1816 ‘‘that banking establishments 

are more dangerous than standing armies.’’ That was not me; that was 

Thomas Jefferson. 

Listen to what people are saying 

about this bill today from both ends of 

the political spectrum. 

Matt Kibbe, president and CEO of 

Freedom Works, said: 

Many economists have found that the central bank’s loose monetary policy played a 

major role in the current economic crisis. It 

is more crucial than ever that the Federal 

Reserve’s monetary decisions be examined. 

Without a comprehensive audit, we will 

never know how the Fed is manipulating our 

money behind closed doors. 

The National Taxpayers Union, one 

of our most respected organizations, 

said: 

American taxpayers deserve to know more 

about the workings of a government-sanctioned entity whose decisions directly affect 

their economic livelihood. 

Arnold Kling, an author and scholar 

at the Cato Institute, said: 

If an audit were to uncover serious flaws 

and decisions made by the Fed, it is difficult 

to see why we are better off remaining ignorant of such flaws. 

Journalist and columnist Rick Sanchez said: 

For an entity that wields so much power, 

we know relatively little about the Fed. 

Would you trust an unknown banker to decide what happens with your paycheck every 

week? Why do we accept this for our country? 

And Brent Budowsky, a very liberal 

political opinion writer, wrote in support of an audit and said: 

In my years of experience in politics, 

media, and business, I have learned that secrecy is usually the enemy of common sense, 

fairness, and sound policy. 

Another liberal economist, the famous John Maynard Keynes, said this: 

There is no subtler, no surer means of 

overturning the existing basis of society 

than to debauch the currency. 

And a very conservative—one of the 

most respected conservative economists, F.A. Hayek, said this: 

When one studies the history of money, 

one cannot help wondering why people 

should have put up for so long with governments exercising an exclusive power over 

2,000 years that was regularly used to exploit 

and defraud them. 

I have heard over the years, Mr. 

Speaker, people say that we need to 

have a Federal Reserve and a Federal 

Reserve system in order to prevent depressions and recessions. Well, that is 

certainly a very, very dumb statement 

to make because the Federal Reserve 

was created in 1913, and 16 years later, 


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H5208 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 25, 2012 

in 1929, we started our greatest depression. I think we have had more recessions and more downturns in the economy since the Federal Reserve was created than we ever had in the entire history of our country before that system 

was created. 

I’m not saying that it is a bad system 

or that it’s wrong to have some type of 

Federal Reserve system, but it certainly is one that deserves more attention from the Congress. And surely, it 

is one that has too much secrecy and 

too much power in this day, and at 

least the Congress needs to look into it 

more than it has since that system and 

that board was created. 

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RECESS 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 12(a) of rule I, the Chair 

declares the House in recess until noon 

today. 

Accordingly (at 10 o’clock and 45 

minutes a.m.), the House stood in recess. 

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b 1200 

AFTER RECESS 

The recess having expired, the House 

was called to order by the Speaker at 

noon. 

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PRAYER 

The Chaplain, the Reverend Patrick 

J. Conroy, offered the following prayer: 

We give You thanks, O God, for giving us another day. 

As we begin the 15th year since that 

terrible day, we ask Your blessing once 

again upon the families of Officer 

Jacob Chestnut and Detective John 

Gibson. We ask as well Your protection 

for the entire Capitol Police corps, who 

mourn the loss of their brothers in uniform. Thank You for calling them all 

to their lives of service. 

Please hear our prayers for the Members of this assembly upon whom the 

authority of government is given. Help 

them to understand the tremendous responsibility they have to represent 

both their constituencies and the people of this great Nation of ours. This is 

a great but complex task. Grant them 

as well the gift of wisdom to sort 

through what competing interests 

might exist to work a solution that can 

best serve all of the American people. 

Finally, give each Member peace and 

equanimity. And give all Americans 

generosity of heart to understand that 

governance is not simple, but difficult 

work, at times requiring sacrifice and 

forbearance. 

May all that is done within the people’s House this day be for Your greater honor and glory. 

Amen. 

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THE JOURNAL 

The SPEAKER. The Chair has examined the Journal of the last day’s proceedings and announces to the House 

his approval thereof. 

Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved. 

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PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 

The SPEAKER. Will the gentleman 

from North Carolina (Mr. MCINTYRE) 

come forward and lead the House in the 

Pledge of Allegiance. 

Mr. MCINTYRE led the Pledge of Allegiance as follows: 

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the 

United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, 

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 

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ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER 

The SPEAKER. The Chair will entertain up to 15 requests for 1-minute 

speeches on each side of the aisle. 

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HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE 

ACTED, PRESIDENT REMAINS 

AWOL ON SEQUESTRATION 

(Mr. WILSON of South Carolina 

asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. 

Speaker, defense sequestration is a 

very real danger that will threaten our 

national security, put our brave men 

and women in uniform at risk, and destroy up to 1 million jobs across our 

country. Sadly, the President avoids 

action on this extremely important 

issue. 

House Armed Services Committee 

Chairman BUCK MCKEON has recently 

been quoted in Politico saying: 

We’re overdue for guidance from the administration on how they interpret the law 

and plan to implement sequestration mechanically. 

Last May, House Republicans voted 

to prevent sequestration by passing 

legislation which replaces these drastic 

defense cuts while maintaining a 

strong national defense. Additionally, 

one week ago today, the House passed 

the Sequestration Transparency Act 

with an overwhelming bipartisan vote 

of 414–2, which holds the administration accountable for these cuts. I urge 

the President and Senate to act before 

it’s too late and hundreds of thousands 

of hardworking Americans lose their 

jobs. 

In conclusion, God bless our troops, 

and we will never forget September the 

11th in the global war on terrorism. 

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IT’S TIME TO HOLD FEDERAL 

RESERVE ACCOUNTABLE 

(Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute.) 

Mr. KUCINICH. On a day Congress 

will decide whether to audit the Fed, 

The Washington Post reports that the 

New York Fed ‘‘did not communicate 

in key meetings with top regulators 

that British bank Barclays had admitted to Fed staffers that it was rigging 

Libor,’’ the index which sets interest 

rates worldwide. 

The Fed wants to be spared a full 

audit. They want monetary deliberations private. Then they use that privacy shield to keep irregularities from 

regulators and from congressional 

view, exposing investors and consumers 

to massive losses. 

Of course the Fed wants to continue 

a system where there is no transparency, no accountability, where they 

can cover up manipulations of markets 

and interest rates. But should we endorse this system? When things fall 

apart, who do the banks come to clean 

up the mess? Congress. 

The Fed creates trillions of dollars 

out of nothing and gives it to banks; 

Congress is in the dark. The Fed sets 

the stage for the subprime meltdown; 

Congress is in the dark. The Fed takes 

a dive on Libor; Congress is in the 

dark. The Fed doesn’t tell regulators 

what’s going on; Congress is in the 

dark. 

It’s time to bring the Fed into the 

sunshine of accountability. Vote for 

the audit. 

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NIGERIAN TERRORISM 

(Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) 

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to bring attention to recent attacks by the Boko Haram terrorist 

group in Nigeria. Attacks in Nigeria’s 

Plateau state on July 7 and 8 left 198 

families displaced, 88 people dead, and 

187 houses burnt. 

On July 8, during the mass funeral 

for the victims, they were attacked. 

Two serving members of the National 

Assembly—Gyan Dantong and Gyang 

Danfulani—were also killed. Boko 

Haram took credit for the attacks, 

stating in their release that Christians 

‘‘will not know peace again’’ if they do 

not accept Islam. 

Madam Speaker, these attacks are 

acts of terrorism performed by a terrorist group against innocent Christians. It’s time the State Department 

labels Boko Haram for what it is—a 

foreign terrorist organization. We must 

not be afraid to identify and confront 

attacks of terrorism wherever they 

might be. 

Our prayers are with the innocent 

victims as they mourn the loss of their 

loved ones. 

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FLIGHT SAFETY AND PILOT 

TRAINING SAFETY REFORMS 

FROZEN 

(Ms. HOCHUL asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) 

Ms. HOCHUL. Madam Speaker, on 

February 12, 2009, Flight 3407 crashed 

into a house in my district, killing all 


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